Thin stabilized segmental wall blocks, soil reinforcing system, and methods

ABSTRACT

A segmental wall block, soil reinforcing system, and method related thereto, wherein the wall block may be used for constructing retaining walls. In one embodiment, the segmental wall block may include: a front face; a rear face; a slot disposed along the rear face; a troughed top face; a bottom face; a first and second open core extending from the top face to the bottom face; a first side having a tongue; and an opposing second side having a groove, wherein the tongue is shaped to interlock with the groove. A soil system may include: a wall block component including a first configuration of interlocked segmented wall blocks as described, and a stabilizing component. A method of reinforcing soil may include the steps of: installing a leveling pad of concrete or gravel; and providing a soil stabilizing system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The presently disclosed subject matter is related to and claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/596,939 entitled “ThinStabilized Segmental Wall Blocks, Soil Reinforcing System, And Methods”filed on Dec. 11, 2017; the entire disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to theretention of earthen formations and the field of retaining walls andmore particularly to a thin stabilized segmental wall block, a soilreinforcing system, and methods related thereto.

BACKGROUND

Retaining walls are commonly used for architectural and site developmentapplications and such soil reinforced earthen works have now become arecognized civil engineering structure useful in the retention ofhillsides, right of way embankments, and the like. The wall facingelements, which typically consist of masonry blocks, concrete blocks,concrete panels, or welded wire forms, must withstand lateral pressuresexerted by backfill soils. Reinforcement and stabilization of the soilbackfill in mechanically stabilized earth applications is commonlyprovided using geosynthetic materials such as geogrids or geotextilesthat are placed horizontally in the soil fill behind the wall face. Thegeosynthetic materials interlock with the soil and create a stablereinforced soil mass. The geosynthetic materials are connected to thewall face elements either mechanically with connectors or frictionallybetween wall face elements and geosynthetics.

A preferred form of grid-like tie-back sheet material used to reinforcethe soil behind a retaining wall structure, known as an integralgeogrid, is commercially available from The Tensar Corporation ofAlpharetta, Ga. (“Tensar”) and is made by the process disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,374,798 (“the '798 patent”). Integral geogrid tie-back sheetmaterial may be uniaxially oriented according to the '798 patent toprovide grid-like sheets including a plurality of elongated, parallel,molecularly oriented strands with transversely extending bars integrallyconnected thereto by less oriented or unoriented junctions, the strands,bars and junctions together defining a multiplicity of elongatedopenings. With biaxial (i.e., 2-dimensional) stretching, the bars may beoriented into elongated strands. While integral geogrids are preferredas reinforcing materials in the construction of retaining walls, otherforms of tie-back sheet materials have been used in a similar manner.

The use of full height pre-cast concrete wall panels for wall-facingelements in a retaining wall is known, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,568,998 and 5,580,191. These types of systems typically require,during construction, that the panels be placed using a crane becausethey are very large, perhaps 5 feet by 10 feet or even larger and, as aresult, are quite heavy such that they cannot be readily man-handled. Toavoid such problems in the use of pre-cast wall panels, other types ofretaining wall structures have been developed.

As one known example, retaining walls have been formed from modular wallblocks which are typically relatively small cementitious blocks ascompared to precast wall panels. The assembly of modular wall blocksusually does not require heavy equipment. Such modular wall blocks canbe handled by a single person and are used to form retaining wallstructures by arranging a plurality of blocks in courses superimposed oneach other, much like laying of brick or the like. Each block includes abody with a front face which forms the exterior surface of the formedretaining wall. Examples of such modular wall block systems aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,010,707; 5,522,682; 5,568,999; 5,823,709;5,911,539; 5,934,838; and 6,287,054.

The use of welded wire (WW) facing units in the construction ofretaining walls is also well known to reinforce earthen formations. U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,856,939; 6,595,726; and 8,197,159 disclose the constructionof geogrid-reinforced earthen retaining walls incorporating welded wirefacing units wherein portions of the face sections of the wire facingunits include kinks or hooks which serve, inter alia, to retain the endsof geogrids, the remainder of the geogrids being designed to extendrearwardly into the fill to reinforce the wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,124also discloses the use of wire “baskets” that are designed to be filledwith granular or rock material to define the forward or face of thewall, the elements of which are also reinforced with grid-likereinforcing sheet material to provide stability of the soil mass.

In the case of modular block walls that are typically used forstructural earth walls, the block is normally 11 to 12 inches deep andweigh between 75 to 100 pounds (lbs) to provide stability to the facingduring wall installation. The weight is relatively heavy and wouldrequire lifting by two persons or handled with small equipment with ablock picking tool since Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) limit the maximum weight to be carried by a person to 50 lbs.This typically leads to slower wall installation or increased costs forthe wall.

As such, improvements in the art are desired to provide a retaining wallblock system that utilize thin and lightweight block to ease wallinstallation and improve productivity while maintaining the structuralintegrity and stability of the block wall system. A thin block wouldallow for an increase to the loading capacity or area of block onto atruck compared to traditional blocks, thus saving transportation costsand reducing environmental impacts. A thin block could be placed fasterand requires less costly and environmentally harmful cement duringfabrication. A thin block must, however, include provisions for blockstability during construction and during wall loading.

SUMMARY

A segmental wall block, soil reinforcing system, and method relatedthereto are disclosed. The wall block may be used for constructingretaining walls.

In one embodiment, the segmental wall block includes: a front face; arear face; a slot disposed along the rear face; a troughed top face; abottom face; a first and second open core extending from the top face tothe bottom face; a first side having a tongue; and an opposing secondside having a groove, wherein the tongue is shaped to interlock with thegroove.

In another embodiment, a segmental wall block may include a front facethat is textured.

The segmental wall block may have a length from about 10 inches to about36 inches; a height from about 6 inches to about 12 inches; a depth fromabout 5 inches to about 12 inches; a tongue length from about 1 inch toabout 3 inches; and a weight from about 35 lbs to about 60 lbs.

Further, the segmented wall block may include a top groove along the topface that is adapated to receive a mechanical connector.

A soil reinforcing system of the present invention may include: a wallblock component including a first configuration of interlocked segmentedwall blocks, each of the wall blocks including: a front face; a rearface; a slot disposed along the rear face; a troughed top face; a bottomface; a first and second open core extending from the top face to thebottom face; a first side having a tongue; and an opposing second sidehaving a groove, wherein the tongue is shaped to interlock with thegroove; and a stabilizing component connected to the wall blockcomponent.

The stabilizing component may include a stabilizing hoop connectedintermittently to the slot at the rear face of the configuration ofinterlocked segmented wall blocks. The stabilizing component may furtherinclude a fill material in the stabilizing hoop.

The stabilizing component may further include an anchor connected to theslot or may include a horizontal plate at the rear face.

The stabilizing component may include a second configuration ofsegmented wall blocks, wherein one of the second configuration ofsegmented wall blocks is connected to the rear face of one of the firstconfiguration of segmented wall blocks.

The stabilizing component may include a geogrid structure, or thestabilizing component may include a combination of stabilizing hoops andhorizontal geogrids connected to the first configuration of wall blocks.

A method of reinforcing soil may include the steps of: installing aleveling pad of concrete or gravel; providing at least three wallblocks, wherein each wall block has a rear face; a slot disposed alongthe rear face; a troughed top face; a bottom face; a first and secondopen core extending from the top face to the bottom face; a first sidehaving a tongue; an opposing second side having a groove, wherein thetongue is shaped to interlock with the groove; forming a first row ofthe wall blocks by connecting the tongues and grooves of the at leastthree wall blocks; installing stabilizing elements at the rear face ofthe wall blocks; placing backfill and compacting up to the first row ofthe wall blocks; and optionally, the steps of: providing a geogrid soilreinforcing strip and engaging the geogrid soil reinforcing strip to thegroove of the first row of the wall blocks with one or more mechanicalconnectors; and placing a second row of the wall blocks while engagingthe mechanical connectors of the first row of the wall blocks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the presently disclosed subject matter in generalterms, reference will now be made to the accompanying Drawings, whichare not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example of the presentlydisclosed wall block, wherein the wall block can be used to formretaining walls and/or any other soil reinforcing element;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a slight variation at the rearto the wall block of the presently disclosed wall block shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view, a top view, a bottom view, and two endviews of the wall block shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective top view of an example of a soilreinforcing system that includes an arrangement of the presentlydisclosed wall blocks;

FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 illustrate various stabilizing systemsof the presently disclosed wall blocks;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a free-standing gravity wallutilizing stabilizing elements of the present subject matter;

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of another arrangement of thepresently disclosed wall blocks;

FIG. 11 illustrate a cross-section view of a soil reinforcing system ofthe present subject matter;

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a connection variation to thepresently disclosed soil reinforcing system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of another connection variationto the presently disclosed soil reinforcing system shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of an example of a method of usingthe presently disclosed wall blocks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter areshown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presentlydisclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications andother embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thepresently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of theteachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associatedDrawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosedsubject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodimentsdisclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended tobe included within the scope of the appended claims.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter provides athin stabilized segmental wall block, a soil reinforcing system, andmethods related thereto. The presently disclosed thin stabilizedsegmental wall block can be, for example, a concrete masonry block usedfor constructing retaining walls. The thin stabilized segmental wallblock would typically be fabricated through a dry-cast process but alsomay be fabricated through a wet-cast process. The wall block would easelifting and installation with the lightweight nature of the block.

An aspect of the presently disclosed thin stabilized block wouldtypically have a height of no more than 8 inches, a length less than 18inches, and depth less than 6 inches. The typical weight of the blockwould be less than 50 lbs. The thin and light block would likely not bestable by itself to support the lateral load and vibration duringconstruction of the modular block wall systems. The thin and light blockwill need to be stabilized with other means or methods for stabilityduring construction of the modular block wall systems.

An aspect of the presently disclosed wall block is that it may include atongue and groove system for support of the construction of modularblock wall systems, wherein wall blocks would interlock side to side toprovide rigidity to the facing and improve alignment of the wall system.

Another aspect of the presently disclosed wall block is that it mayinclude a “behind the face” groove for receiving mechanical connectorsfor simple connection to adjacent wall blocks and/or to any other soilreinforcing elements, such as, but not limited to, a geogrid.

Yet another aspect of the presently disclosed wall block is that it mayinclude a slot or groove at the top or at the rear of the wall blocksfor receiving a stabilizing element to increase stability of thelightweight stabilized block during construction.

Still another aspect of the presently disclosed wall block is that itmay feature decreased block weight and increased production rate ascompared with conventional wall blocks.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are perspective views of an exampleof the presently disclosed wall block 100, wherein the wall block 100can be used to form free-standing gravity walls, retaining walls and/orany other soil reinforcing structure. Further, FIG. 3 shows a frontview, a top view, a bottom view, and two end views of the wall block 100shown in FIG. 1.

The wall block 100 can be, for example, a concrete masonry block usedfor constructing retaining walls. That is, the wall block 100 is anexample of a modular wall block. The wall block 100 typically includes afront face 101, a rear face 102 that has a slot/groove at the center103, a troughed top face 104, and a flat bottom face 105. Accordingly,the wall block 100 has a tongue 106 on one side and a groove 107 on theother side. The wall block 100 can also include top grooves 109 at thetop face 104. Additionally, two hollow open cores 108 pass through thewall block 100, extending from the troughed top face 104 to the flatbottom face 105. Optionally, the front face 101 of block 100 can betextured to provide a certain appearance and/or aesthetic feature.

The terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “over,” “under,” and “on”are used throughout the description with reference to the relativepositions of components of the wall block 100, such as relativepositions of the front, rear, top, and bottom faces of the wall block100. It will be appreciated that the wall block 100 is functionalregardless of its orientation in space.

The wall block 100 has a length L, a height H, a depth D, and extendedtongue T. The length L of the wall block 100 can generally be from about10 inches to about 36 inches, and in a preferred embodiment ofapproximately 16 inches. The height H of the wall block 100 cangenerally be from about 6 inches to about 12 inches, and in a preferredembodiment of approximately 8 inches. The depth D of the wall block 100can generally be from about 5 inches to about 12 inches, and in apreferred embodiment of approximately 5.5 inches. The extended tongue Tof the wall block 100 can generally be from 1 inch to 3 inches, an in apreferred embodiment of approximately 1.6 inches.

The wall block 100 is lightweight, and generally can weigh between 35lbs to 60 lbs, and in a preferred embodiment of approximately 48 lbs.The lightweight wall block 100 would be stabilized with various means ofstabilizing elements to control alignment and movement duringapplication of construction loads.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a soil reinforcing system 400 is shownincluding a configuration of wall blocks 100 that can be stacked in thestandard running bond configuration utilizing a combination of one ormore connectors, such as mechanical connectors 401, to connect one wallblock 100 to another wall block 100 on top and below it and/or toconnect the wall block 100 to any other soil reinforcing elements.Accordingly, a top groove 109 along the top of wall block 100 isprovided to receive the mechanical connector 401; the groove 109 has acertain width and depth. The mechanical connectors 401 along with thestabilizing elements provide vertical stability to the thin andlightweight wall blocks 100.

The tongue 106 of wall block 100 is shaped to fit the side groove 107 tocreate an interlock mechanism and provide lateral stability between wallblocks 100. The shape of the tongue 106 and groove 107 would interlockwall blocks 100 side to side on a straight wall and for a wide range ofconvex and concave curvatures.

The soil reinforcing system includes a soil reinforcing element 405 thatmay be, for example, a synthetic material, such as high-densitypolyethylene (HDPE) and polyester geogrids, or may be a steelreinforcing mesh, steel strips, or other soil reinforcing elements. A“geogrid” is a grid whose primary purpose is to strengthen or reinforcesoil and has open meshes into which soil particles can lock. The soilreinforcing element 405 can generally be a full sheet-like soilreinforcement and in the preferred embodiment a narrow stripreinforcement from about 6 inches to 20 inches, and in a preferredembodiment of approximately 10 inches.

Referring now to FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an example ofstabilizing system 500 of an arrangement of presently disclosed wallblocks 100 to provide overturning stability to the thin stabilized wallblocks during construction. In the wall blocks stabilizing system 500,the wall blocks 100 are interlocked side to side with the tongue 106 andgroove 107 while also connected to a stabilizing hoop 501 at the rearface 102 of the wall block 100 at the wall block slot/groove 103intermittently along the wall. The stabilizing hoop 501 may be asynthetic material such as HDPE or PET geogrids, or may be a steelreinforcing mesh or strap or band. The hoop 501 is then filled withgravel or stone 503 to complete the stabilizing system. The stabilizinghoop is spaced at an interval required to provide adequate overturningstability to the wall blocks 100 during construction. While astabilizing hoop is discussed herein, it is contemplated that thestructure may include any suitable box/frame structure (e.g.,rectangular, oval, triangular, etc.), flexible or rigid, for stoneretention and block stabilization.

Referring now to FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8. are perspective views ofother examples of wall blocks 100 used in stabilizing systems 600, 700,and 800. For example, FIG. 6 shows wall block 100 stabilized with awelded wire anchor 601 connected to slot 603 at the rear of the block.The welded wire anchor provides overturning stability through pulloutanchorage. FIG. 7 shows wall block 100 stabilized with a horizontalplate 701 placed at the rear and bottom of the block but connected tothe block through the slot 703. The horizontal plate 701 engages theoverburden pressure from the backfill behind the reinforced wall andthus increases the overturning stability of the stabilized wall blocks.All stabilizing elements are spaced at intervals required to provideadequate overturning stability to the wall blocks 100 duringconstruction.

In another example, FIG. 8 shows wall blocks 100 stabilized with wallblock 801 or series of wall blocks 801 by engaging the tongue 806 ofwall block 801 through the groove 803 at the rear of the wall block 100and therefore creates a stabilized system 800. The stabilizing wallblock 801, which may be of variable height, thickness and depth, acts asan anchor to provide overturning stability to the wall block 100.

Referring now to FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a free-standing gravitywall system 900 utilizing wall blocks 100 and a series of stabilizinghoops 901 filled with soil fill 902. The soil weight of the confinedsoil fill 902 in the stabilizing hoop 901 increases the effective depthof the retaining wall to provide sufficient vertical overburden weightto resist the lateral pressure from the soil behind the stabilizinghoop.

Referring now to FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another arrangement ofwall block 100 in stacked bond configuration 1000. In this arrangement,half-height block 1001 span between two wall blocks 100 at the first rowand the top row of the retaining wall. The tongue 1006 and groove 1007of wall block 1001 and 100 will be stacked on top of one another,creating stacked vertical joints. Wall blocks 100 and 1001 are connectedto the soil reinforcing 1005 with one or more mechanical connectors1004.

Referring now to FIG. 11 is a cross-section view of soil reinforcingsystem 1100. The first layer of wall block 100 may be placed on aleveling pad 1102 consisting of gravel or concrete. The soil reinforcingsystem 1100 typically includes a first soil reinforcing element 1101that is integrated at a lower portion of the wall blocks 100 and asecond soil reinforcing element 1101 that maybe integrated at an upperportion of the wall blocks. In one example, the soil reinforcingelements 1101 are geogrid structures. A “geogrid” is a grid whoseprimary purpose is to strengthen or reinforce soil and has open meshesinto which soil particles can lock.

In the soil reinforcing system 1100 of the present invention, multiplemechanical connectors 1103 may be used to couple one wall block 100 toanother and to couple the wall blocks 100 to the soil reinforcingelements 1101. The mechanical connectors 1103 are often mechanical blockconnectors and alignment devices.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the reinforced soil system 1200 allows forgravity or frictional connection between the wall blocks 100 and thesoil reinforcing elements 1204 from the interaction of the stabilizinghoops 1202 filled with gravel-type fill 1203 and the reinforcing geogrid1204. The stabilizing hoops 1202, which are mechanically connected tothe wall blocks 100, provide sufficient short-term and long-term facingstability and performance without connecting mechanically the wallblocks 100 to the soil reinforcing elements 1204. Therefore, theconnectors 1201 serve as alignment tools for wall system 1200 andconnect one wall block 100 to another wall block 100 on top and below itwithout mechanically connecting them to any soil reinforcing elements1204.

Referring now to FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another soilreinforcing system 1300. The stabilizing hoops 1301 are backfilled withsoil fill 1303. The confined soil fill in the stabilizing hoop 1301provide stability to the wall blocks 100 while the soil reinforcingelements 1302 provide tensile resistance to stabilize the wall backfill.The soil reinforcing elements 1302 may be, for example, discrete stripsof a synthetic material such as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) orPolyester (PET) or other flexible reinforcing elements, and continuouswrap from the bottom of the stabilized hoop 1301 to the top of thestabilized hoop 1301. The wrapping of the soil reinforcing elements 1302against the stabilizing hoop 1301 filled with soil fill 1303 formed themechanical connection of the wall system 1300. The soil reinforcingelement 1302 in one embodiment is a narrow strip of reinforcement fromabout 6 inches to 48 inches, and in a preferred embodiment ofapproximately 24 inches.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of an example of a method 1400 ofusing the presently disclosed wall blocks in a simple configuration ofthree blocks. The method 1400 may include, but is not limited to, thefollowing steps.

At a step 1401, a level pad is to be constructed with gravel or concreteto ensure a level surface or foundation for the presently disclosed wallblocks 100.

At a step 1402, at least three of the presently disclosed wall blocks100 may be provided. The wall blocks may to be connected to the left andright with the tongue and groove system at step 1403.

At step 1404, one or more stabilizing elements may be installed throughthe slot or groove at the rear of wall block 100. Soil backfill is thenplaced and compacted up to the first row of blocks at step 1405.

At step 1406, one or more soil reinforcing elements 1101 may beinstalled and engaged to the grooves of the first row of blocks with oneor more mechanical connectors 1103.

At step 1407, a next row of blocks may be installed with one or more ofthe mechanical connectors 1103 and/or soil reinforcing 1101 engaged inthe grooves of the first row of wall blocks 100.

The wall blocks of the present invention provide a significantmanufacturing improvement over prior art modular wall blocks and soilreinforcing systems. Namely, because the wall blocks of the presentinvention may be oriented in either the vertical or horizontaldirections, the equipment necessary to fabricate the wall blocks of thepresent invention is minimized. Additionally, the shape and design ofthe wall blocks of the present invention often provides for reducedmaterials and ease in manufacturability when compared to prior artmodular wall blocks. Finally, the assembly of the wall blocks to createthe soil reinforcing system of the present invention represents asignificant improvement over prior art because of the simplicity indesign, reduced number of distinct components, and ability to modify thecomponents to the desired soil system configuration.

Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and“the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, includingthe claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes aplurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary(e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.

Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,”“comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, exceptwhere the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” andits grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such thatrecitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other likeitems that can be substituted or added to the listed items.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unlessotherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions,proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, quantities,characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specificationand claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances bythe term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appearwith the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to thecontrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the followingspecification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but maybe approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflectingtolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and thelike, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending onthe desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosedsubject matter. For example, the term “about,” when referring to a valuecan be meant to encompass variations of, in some embodiments ±100%, insome embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in someembodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specifiedamount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosedmethods or employ the disclosed compositions.

Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or morenumbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all suchnumbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range byextending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth.The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers,e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within thatrange (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5,as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like)and any range within that range.

Although the foregoing subject matter has been described in some detailby way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatcertain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope ofthe appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A segmental wall block comprising: (a) a front face; (b) arear face; (c) a slot disposed along the rear face; (c) a troughed topface; (d) a bottom face; (e) a first and second open core extending fromthe top face to the bottom face; (f) a first side having a tongue; and(g) an opposing second side having a groove, wherein the tongue isshaped to interlock with the groove.
 2. The segmental wall block ofclaim 1, wherein the front face is textured.
 3. The segmented wall blockof claim 1, wherein the wall block has a length, a height, a depth, atongue length, and a weight.
 4. The segmented wall block of claim 3,wherein the length is from about 10 inches to about 36 inches.
 5. Thesegmented wall block of claim 3, wherein the height is from about 6inches to about 12 inches.
 6. The segmented wall block of claim 3,wherein the depth is from about 5 inches to about 12 inches.
 7. Thesegmented wall block of claim 3, wherein the tongue length is from about1 inch to about 3 inches.
 8. The segmented wall block of claim 3,wherein the weight is from about 35 lbs to about 60 lbs.
 9. Thesegmented wall block of claim 1, further comprising a top groove alongsaid top face adapted to receive a mechanical connector.
 10. A soilreinforcing system comprising: a wall block component including a firstconfiguration of interlocked segmented wall blocks, each of the wallblocks comprising: (a) a front face; (b) a rear face; (c) a slotdisposed along the rear face; (c) a troughed top face; (d) a bottomface; (e) a first and second open core extending from the top face tothe bottom face; (f) a first side having a tongue; and (g) an opposingsecond side having a groove, wherein the tongue is shaped to interlockwith the groove; and a stabilizing component connected to the wall blockcomponent.
 11. The soil reinforcing system of claim 10, wherein one ormore of the wall blocks include a top groove along the top face adaptedto receive a mechanical connector.
 12. The soil reinforcing system ofclaim 10, wherein the stabilizing component comprises a stabilizing hoopconnected intermittently to the slot at the rear face of theconfiguration of interlocked segmented wall blocks.
 13. The soilreinforcing system of claim 12, wherein the stabilizing componentfurther comprises a fill material in the stabilizing hoop.
 14. The soilreinforcing system of claim 10, wherein the stabilizing componentcomprises an anchor connected to the slot.
 15. The soil reinforcingsystem of claim 10, wherein the stabilizing component comprises ahorizontal plate at the rear face.
 16. The soil reinforcing system ofclaim 10, wherein the stabilizing component comprises a secondconfiguration of segmented wall blocks, wherein one of the secondconfiguration of segmented wall blocks is connected to the rear face ofone of the first configuration of segmented wall blocks.
 17. The soilreinforcing system of claim 10, wherein the stabilizing component is ageogrid structure,
 18. The soil reinforcing system of claim 10, whereinthe stabilizing component is a combination of stabilizing hoops andhorizontal geogrids connected to the first configuration of wall blocks.19. A method of reinforcing soil comprising the steps of: installing aleveling pad of concrete or gravel; providing at least three wallblocks, wherein each wall block has a rear face; a slot disposed alongthe rear face; a troughed top face; a bottom face; a first and secondopen core extending from the top face to the bottom face; a first sidehaving a tongue; an opposing second side having a groove, wherein thetongue is shaped to interlock with the groove; forming a first row ofthe wall blocks by connecting the tongues and grooves of the at leastthree wall blocks; installing stabilizing elements at the rear face ofthe wall blocks; and placing backfill and compacting up to the first rowof the wall blocks.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising thesteps of: providing a geogrid soil reinforcing strip and engaging thegeogrid soil reinforcing strip to the groove of the first row of thewall blocks with one or more mechanical connectors; and placing a secondrow of the wall blocks while engaging the mechanical connectors of thefirst row of the wall blocks.